I have had a response from my M.L.A.'s office, and he has even written to the Minister of Health on my behalf, although the process seems to have been drawn out somewhat - the date of his letter and the postmark on the envelope are a week apart.
My snail mail response to HIBC/MSP refusal to deal with email had hard copy of all the email correspondence enclosed.
The Minister's response to my queries arrived on April 27th, and appears to address some of my issues. However, in the first instance, the procedure to find the payment schedule is far too onerous and not at all user friendly. To check my own records, once again I am obliged to phone or use snail mail for my request, which will eventually be dealt with in the most inefficient and costly way possible. Obviously, the intent is to discourage queries such as mine.
Regarding the shingles vaccine, I have no idea how long the Ministry's review is likely to take, but until the process is completed, assuming a positive outcome, we the seniors will continue to be on the hook for whatever cost the pharmaceutical delivery system chooses to levy, with no relief in sight. Therefore, I am proceeding with my human rights complaint, and if there is a favorable ruling from MSP before the compliant is heard, that portion of it can be withdrawn.
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On July 15, 2015, I finally decided to jump through the hoops to get the record of medical claims filed in my name, and I phoned the MSP number provided in the Minister's letter. Since I was provided the option, I left my number for a call back rather than holding for an indefinite period. I was called back two days later, and after providing a series of answers to prove my identity, I was transferred to a "benefit specialist" who asked if I had executed an "Authorization to Release Medical Records". I responded that I didn't think so, and he provided directions for downloading an appropriate form from their web site. From that point on, it's all hard copy by snail mail (Please allow up to 6 weeks for processing), so it will be a couple of months before I see any further progress on this. On August 16, 2015, I received in the mail an unsigned letter from HIBC with a 3 page printout attached listing all medical claims paid on my behalf from August 1, 2008 to July 31, 2015. Why these data cannot be made available on line, is an open question which remains unanswered.
